Catherine of Aragon was a Spanish princess (her badge shows a pomegranate - a symbol from Spain).
She was the daughter of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain, and was originally married to
Henry's brother Arthur. Henry married Catherine to maintain the alliance with Spain after Arthur died,
leaving Catherine a widow. This marriage was organized by Henry VII a short time before he died, but
took place after his death in 1509, when Henry was almost 18 and Catherine was 23.
After twenty years of marriage, she had only given birth to one girl, Mary, later
to become known as Bloody Mary (although she had many miscarriages and
still-births in that time). As Henry VIII needed a son to provide a male heir to the throne, and as
his advisors deemed Catherine to be past the age of child-birth, Henry tried to persuade her to
become a Nun. Catherine refused, and after two years of arguments with the Pope, Henry
created a new Archbishop (Thomas Cranmer) who was prepared to declare the marriage
annulled in 1532. Catherine was then banished from the Court and separated from her daughter.
It is said that she died of a broken heart, four years later.
ENGLAND Henry VIII King Of, b. 28 Jun 1491, Greenwich Palace, Greenwich, Kent, England , d. 28 Jan 1546/1547, Whitehall, Westminster, Middlesex, England